3 ms·

While I can see the fun and useful part in collecting this kind of data ("80% of our users use the 'high' setting - let´s improve Gen 2 on that point"), I think

While I can see the fun and useful part in collecting this kind of data ("80% of our users use the 'high' setting - let´s improve Gen 2 on that point"), I think more and more companies are losing track of what´s "good and bad" for the sole purpose of improving products. Why not directly ask the customers, make an opt-in or whatever, instead of anonymously collecting this kind of data from everybody. Come on, in the end it´s quite private after all.

ddebernardy 10y ago
> Why not directly ask the customers? As you correctly suggest, "it's quite private" and users don't openly discuss their turn-ons with strangers.
- hwh 10y ago
  Maybe not with open identity, but they surely do discuss. There are lots of mostly non-commercial forums that are full of people discussing their "turn-ons". In most cases I encountered, in a very civilized fashion. Discussions are more technical than one might expect, especially compared to "real-life" discussions about turn-ons, which often end in shame, giggling or bragging. A look at Amazon or other commercial platforms and the customer reviews shows about the same. As long as people aren't forced to show their full name, they are just fine about discussing such matters.
  - michaelt 10y ago
    Works fine until someone posts your anonymous online survey to 4chan and you achieve... less product-market fit than you anticipated.
  - behnamoh 10y ago
    "Give a man a mask and he'll show his true face."
- taneq 10y ago
  I can't tell if your response is condoning this behaviour or merely pointing out that that's what the company did. They knew that their customers would not voluntarily share this information, and so they recorded it secretly without consent.
andygates 10y ago
Asking users is terrible. Famously, MS asked users for features they'd like in Word and got a list that was 80% features which already existed. And that's for stuff they'd like to talk about.
- ocdtrekkie 10y ago
  This is actually great feedback, if you know how to interpret it. Because now you know all the features your application has that your application doesn't adequately present to users.

ddebernardy 10y ago

> Why not directly ask the customers? As you correctly suggest, "it's quite private" and users don't openly discuss their turn-ons with strangers.

hwh 10y ago
Maybe not with open identity, but they surely do discuss. There are lots of mostly non-commercial forums that are full of people discussing their "turn-ons". In most cases I encountered, in a very civilized fashion. Discussions are more technical than one might expect, especially compared to "real-life" discussions about turn-ons, which often end in shame, giggling or bragging. A look at Amazon or other commercial platforms and the customer reviews shows about the same. As long as people aren't forced to show their full name, they are just fine about discussing such matters.
- michaelt 10y ago
  Works fine until someone posts your anonymous online survey to 4chan and you achieve... less product-market fit than you anticipated.
- behnamoh 10y ago
  "Give a man a mask and he'll show his true face."
taneq 10y ago
I can't tell if your response is condoning this behaviour or merely pointing out that that's what the company did. They knew that their customers would not voluntarily share this information, and so they recorded it secretly without consent.

andygates 10y ago

Asking users is terrible. Famously, MS asked users for features they'd like in Word and got a list that was 80% features which already existed. And that's for stuff they'd like to talk about.

ocdtrekkie 10y ago
This is actually great feedback, if you know how to interpret it. Because now you know all the features your application has that your application doesn't adequately present to users.